BILL NUMBER: SB 566 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE JANUARY 11, 2000
AMENDED IN SENATE JANUARY 3, 2000
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 7, 1999
INTRODUCED BY Senator Escutia
(Principal coauthor: Senator Hughes)
FEBRUARY 19, 1999
An act to add Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 124950) to Part 4
of Division 106 of the Health and Safety Code, and to add
Section 14087.326 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to
school health programs, and Code, relating to school
health programs, and making an appropriation therefor.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 566, as amended, Escutia. School health centers.
Existing law includes various programs to provide primary health
care services to the people of California. Existing law also
provides health care services and health coverage to families and
children meeting specified requirements through the Medi-Cal and
Healthy Families programs.
This bill would require the State Department of Health Services to
develop and establish a certification
licensure program for school health centers, and would require
the centers to promote enrollment of eligible students in the
Medi-Cal and Healthy Families programs as a condition of
certification licensure . The bill would
establish the School Health Center Grant Program to provide grants to
qualifying school health centers, as defined, in order to assist the
centers in becoming certified or licensed as
community clinics, and would appropriate $2 million
$2,000,000 from the General Fund for this
purpose. The bill would also require the department to establish a
study group, with specified membership, to explore long-term
strategies for the support of school health centers, and the
incorporation of these centers into a coordinated, comprehensive
health care system.
This bill would also require local initiatives, as defined, and
certain managed care providers, as a condition of contracting with
the department to provide Medi-Cal services, to offer a subcontract
to any certified school health center operating in the service area
covered by the provider's contract with the department.
Vote: 2/3. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 124950) is added to
Part 4 of Division 106 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:
CHAPTER 8. SCHOOL HEALTH CENTERS
124950. (a) The State Department of Health Services shall develop
and establish, by regulation, a certification
licensure program for school health centers.
(b) The certification licensure
program established by the department under this chapter may include
more than one certification licensure
category. In order to qualify for the highest category of
certification licensure offered by the
department, a school health center that does not offer a full range
of primary care services shall cooperate with licensed clinics,
hospitals, or other larger health systems, to ensure that all
necessary primary and preventative care services are provided.
(c) As a requirement of certification
licensure , each school health center shall establish methods
of promoting enrollment of eligible students in the Medi-Cal program
(Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) of Part 3 of Division 9 of
the Welfare and Institutions Code) and the Healthy Families Program
(Part 6.2 (commencing with Section 12693) of Division 2 of the
Insurance Code). The department shall establish guidelines to
encourage school health centers to work with health plans to develop
appropriate cooperative arrangements for assistance in achieving this
objective, to the extent permitted by state and federal law.
(d) No services may be provided to any child unless the parents or
guardian of the child have filed written consent with the school
district.
124952. (a) The School Health Center Grant Program is hereby
established, under which grants shall be made to qualifying school
health centers for the purpose of assisting those centers in becoming
certified or licensed as community clinics. For
purposes of the grant program, a qualifying school health center is
one that has entered into a partnership or other cooperative
arrangement with a licensed clinic, hospital, university, or other
larger health system.
(b) The grant program shall be administered by the director and
officers and employees of the department as he or she may designate.
(c) The sum of two million dollars ($2,000,000) is hereby
appropriated from the General Fund to the department for the purpose
of funding the School Health Center Grant Program.
124954. (a) The department shall establish a study group to
explore long-term strategies for the support of school health
centers, and for the incorporation of the centers into a coordinated,
comprehensive health care system. Members of the study group shall
be appointed by the director or his or her designee, and shall
include, but not be limited to, representatives of each of the
following:
(1) The Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board.
(2) The Medi-Cal program.
(3) The State Department of Education.
(4) The State Department of Mental Health.
(5) Community clinics.
(6) Managed care.
(7) School health centers.
(b) On or before January 1, 2002, the study group shall report its
findings and recommendations to the health and education committees
of the Legislature.
SEC. 2. Section 14087.326 is added to the Welfare and Institutions
Code, to read:
14087.326. The department shall require, as a condition of
obtaining a contract with the department, that any local initiative,
as defined in subdivision (v) of Section 53810 of Title 22 of the
California Code of Regulations, or other Medi-Cal managed care
provider, which is currently required to offer a subcontract to
traditional and safety net providers, offer a subcontract to any
school health center certified pursuant to Chapter 8 (commencing with
Section 124950) of Part 4 of Division 106 of the Health and Safety
Code, and operating in the service area covered by the provider's
contract with the department.